Barrette



Nov. 3, 1931.

B. A. STERLING BARRETTE Filed Aug. 4, 1931 Patented Nov. 3, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE f' 1 BERNARD A. STERLING, or oIIIoAeo, IIlIiINoIs IBARRETTE Application filed August 4, 1931. Serial No. 554,986.

accidental opening of the tongue and without a latch device requiring additional parts orseparate latching and unlatching operations independently of the swinging movement of the tongue to closed and open positions.

Another feature of my presentinvention resides inthe pivoted mounting of the tongue on the back member in such manner that it will not swing too loosely or freely about its pivot. I

Another feature resides in the form of the tongueand in its cooperation with a longitudinal hump formed integral with the back 29 member so that the device will grip a few or a relatively large number of strands of hair equally well. p

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: v Figure 1 is an enlarged side elevational view of adevice embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the device shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the tongue or prong member of the device;

Figure 4 is'a detail section taken on the line Hjof Figure 1; p e v Figure 5 is a detail section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a detail section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 1; and

Figure 7 is'a detail section taken on the line 77 of Figure 2; I

Referring to the drawings, the device com prises, generally, theback member 5 and the tongue or prong member 6 pivoted thereto and'adapted to be opened from the back for the introduction and removal of strands of hair, and to be closed and latched to the back to clamp the device firmly upon the hair.

The back 5 preferably is curved as shown in Figure 1,to'conform generally to the head, and preferably is formed fofa relatively soft material, preferably cellulosic material such as a non-inflammable celluloid. Formed integral with the bottom of the back member 5 at one end is a lug 7, apertured at 8, and which serves to support pivotally the tongue 6. At the opposite end of the bottom of the back member 5 and formed integral with the back memberfis a lug 9 having generally longitudinal grooves 10, 10, onein each of its opposite sides and whichgrooved lug 9 constitutes a latch for holding the tongue 6 in s closed position. r

Theton'guel or prong member 6 preferablyis formed of suitable spring wire looped or doubled back into somewhat generally U- shaped formation with the free endsf12, 12 of the wire disposed at one end of the prong and turned generally laterally inwardly with respect to the side of the prong. The laterally turned ends 12, 12 fit in the transverse aperture 8 in the pivot lug 7 and pivotally mount the adjacent end of the tongue upon the lug 7 In mounting the tongue upon the lug 7, the sides of the tongue may be spread sufficiently to permit application of the ends 12, 12 over the lug 7 and with the ends 12, 12 Y in register or engagement with the opposite ends of the aperture 8, the sides of the tongue will upon release spring together and spring these ends 12, 12 into the aperture 8; I find that by deflecting the laterally turned ends 12, 12 slightly from true normal or transverse relation with respect to the sides of the tongue, they will produce increased frictional engagement within the aperture8 and this will restrain or prevent too loose or free pivotal movementof the tongue with respect to the back member. The deflection of the laterally turned ends 12, 12 from true normal or transverse relation with respect to the sides of the tongue is shown in somewhat exag- 11:

gerated form in Figure 3. A band 14 may be provided about the sides of the tongue 6 adjacent the pivot lug 7 to prevent displacement of the, in-turned ends 12, 12 from the pivot lug 7.

The bottom of the back member 5 also has formed integral therewith a hump or ridge 16 centrally disposed between the opposite longitudinal edges of the back member and extending longitudinally between the pivot lug 7 and the latch lug 9. The'bottom edge and ends of the hump 16 are preferably rounded as shown in Figure 6, and the bottom edge of this hump preferably is curved to conform with the curvature of the back member 5 so as to conform with the head when the device is applied to the hair. When the tongue 6 is closed the sides thereof straddle or cooperate with the longitudinal hump 16 and yieldingly press by the inherent resiliency of the sides of the tongue against the sides of the hump 16 so that different amounts of hair may be accommodated between the back 5 and the tongue 6, and so that the device will grip a few or a relatively large number of strands of hair equally well.

The sides of the tongue 6 are spread apart slightly adjacent the latch lug' 9 as indicated at 20, but the spacing between these spread portions 20 is normally less than the width of the head 21 of the latch lug 9. Between the spread sides 20 and the pivoted end of the tongue, the sides thereof preferably are brought relatively close togetheras shown in Figure 2, and intermediate the ends these sides may be crimped at 22.

In use the device is inserted up into the hair with the back and rear side presented to the head, and the tongue 6 is opened to permit the desired strands of hair to be placed between the back 5 and the tongue 6.. The tongue '6 is then swung into closed position, and by its closing movement and without ad ditional latching operations the spread sides 20spring over the headed end 21 of the latch lug 9 and into the side grooves 10, 10. The engagement of the sides of the tongue in these grooves 10, 10 looks the free ends of the tongue firmly to the back member with the strands of hair between the tongue and the back member, and the strands of hair are firmly gripped between the tongue and the bottom of the back member and the hump 16 thereon. To remove the device from the hair, the free end 25 of the tongue 6 is pressed downwardly away from the back member which springs the tongue out of engagement with the latch lug 9 and swings the tongue downwardly to open position.

As viewed in Figure 1, the sides of the tongue 6 are relatively straight from the pivot lug 7 to a position just ahead of the left hand side of the latch lug 9, and from this position just ahead of the left hand side of the pivot lug the end 25 of the tongue is turned down as shown in Figure 1.

"This turning down of the end 25 from this point has the advantage that in positioning a relatively large amount of hair between the back member 5 and the tongue -6 this hair in springing the portion of the tongue along the hump 16 downwardly as indicated generally in dotted lines at 30 will draw the down-turned end 25 up into general parallelism with the adjacent bottom portion of the back member 5 and in this position further downward springing of the intermediate portion of the tongue at 30 will cause the down-turned end 25 to slide in the grooves 10, 10 toward the pivot lug 7. The width of the grooves 10, 10 may be such as to permit this drawing of the down-turned end 25 of the tongue up toward the back member, and in this manner a relatively large amount of hair may be gripped between the back member and the tongue without springing the outer end of the tongue out of engagement with the grooves 10, 10 in the latch lug 9.

The entire back member 5, pivot lug 7, hump 16, and latchlug 9 preferably are molded as a unitary structure and in a manner which will impart the desired curvature to the back member 5 and prevent the same from reverting to its original form in cooling. The formation of these parts of cellulose material and preferably of a material of the nature of non-inflammable celluloid eliminates any metal to metal cooperation and provides effective cooperation with the inturned ends 12, 12 of the metal prong 6 and withthe sides and latch end of the prong.

I do not intend to be limited to the precise details shown or described.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a barrette comprising a back member formed of a non-inflammable cellulose material and having an integral pivot lug, an integral latch lug and an integral longitudinal hump between said pivot lug and said latch lug, and a tongue pivoted to said pivot lug and swingable into and out of latching engagement with said latch lug, said tongue having a pair of side portions cooper-able with said hump.

2. As an article of manufacture, a barrette comprising a back member formed of a noninflammable cellulose material and having an integral pivot lug, an integral catch lug and an integral longitudinal hump between said pivot lug and said latch lug, a tongue pivoted to said pivot lug and swingable into and out of latching engagement with said latch lug, said tongue having a pair of side portions coopera ble with said hump, and a cross piece transversely connecting the sides of the tongue adjacent the pivot lug to prevent separation of the tongue therefrom.

-3. As an article of-m-anufacture, a barrette comprising a back member having an integral pivot lug, and an integral latch lug,

and a prong swinga-ble into and out of latcli- 1ng engagement with said latch lug .by swinging movement about said pivot lug, said pivot lug having a transverse aperture and said prong having sides turned in laterally and pivoted in said aperture, said in-turned ends being turned -o11t of .parallelismto prevent too free turning of the tongue about the pivot lug upon engagement of said in-turned ends in .said aperture.

4;. As an article of manufacture, a barrette comprising a back member having an integral pivot lug, and an integral latch lug and a prong pivoted to said pivot lug and swingable into and out of latching engagement with said latch lug by swinging movement about said pivot lug, said tongue having its free end turned down from a position just ahead of said latch lug whereby said downturned end is drawn up toward the back member and slides longitudinally with respect to said latch member by springing of the intermediate portion of the tongue away from the back member.

5. As an article of manufacture, a barrette comprising a back member having an integral pivot lug, and an integral latch lug and a prong pivoted to said pivot lug and swingable into and out of latching engagement with said latch lug by swinging movement about said pivot lug, said tongue having "its free end turned down from a position just ahead of said latch lug whereby said downturned end is drawn up toward the back member and slides longitudinally with respect to said latch member by springing of the intermediate portion of the tongue away from the back member, said pivot lug having a transverse aperture and said tongue comprising a wire prong doubled back with its free ends turned in for engagement in said aperture, said in-turned ends being turned out of parallelism to prevent too free swinging movement of the tongue about the pivot lug.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 1st day of August, 1931.

BERNARD A. STERLING, 

